Saturday, May 17, 2014

Simplify Your Work Life, by Elaine St. James

Elaine St. James. Simplify Your Work Life: Ways to Change the Way You Work So You Have More Time to Live. New York: Hyperion, 2001. 296 pages. ISBN 0786866837.

I have to admit that I'm a sucker
for self-help books, especially those that provide suggestions for getting
better organized, getting rid of clutter, saving time, and stopping
procrastination. Well over ten years ago I read two of Elaine St. James’ early
books: Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things that
Really Matter, and Inner Simplicity: 100 Ways to Regain Peace and
Nourish Your Soul. I found both books really helpful, but the first one
especially so. It gave me lots of ideas for simplifying my life, many of which
I have applied over and over. I kept them for years and read both books several
times over. Eventually, in an attempt to cut back on my book collection I gave
both books away, although I continue to apply many of the concepts.

This past weekend I attended the
annual AAUW book sale in State College (over 400,000 used books for sale in one
weekend), and found this book on simplifying your work life. It's a quick read
with 85 short chapters organized into seven sections:

Cutting back on the amount of time you work

Learning to seize time

Being more productive

Being more effective with people

Being more efficient with your money

Changing the way you work

Changing the way you think about work

If you're a productivity and
self-help junkie like I am, you might not find a lot new in these pages, but if
you haven't read much along these lines, you will find this book very helpful.
I found many of the suggestions useful, and agree with much of what she writes
about productivity, time management, financial management, and dealing with
people. I've observed too many administrators who fill up their calendars with
meetings, lunches, coffees, etc., and wonder why they can't get
anything done. Anyone who wonders why they don't have enough time to get their
work done would do well to read this book!